Cowboy Heat

by Delilah Devlin

  Together, they lifted their beers and downed them in several long gulps.

  Sadie wiped her arm across her lips and then held out her hands. “Shall we?”

  Joe, looking less at ease, let her guide one of his big hands to the small of her back, the other she held out and away from their bodies. He stood awkwardly away from her. “Like this?”

  “It’s a start.” Sadie laid her hand on his shoulder. “Now close your eyes.”

  He did as she said.

  Without his piercing blue gaze reading her every expression, Sadie could study the man up close and her focus rested on full, sensuous lips. “I’m going to sway to the beat. For now, stand there and feel how my body moves to the music.”

  Sadie shifted her weight from one foot to the other in time with the song. “Can you feel it?” She sure was.

  “Not really,” he admitted.

  She moved his hands, placing them on her hips, her breath hitching as the warmth of his palms seared through her dress.

  “That’s better.” His rich voice slid like warm honey over her body.

  Sadie gulped. Man, this was going to be tough. “Sway with me,” she said, her voice husky with desire.

  Joe’s stiff body jerked out of sync with the music. After a moment or two, he stopped and opened his eyes. “It doesn’t feel the same as when you do it. Can’t we skip right to the waltz? I have to be able to do that by tomorrow.”

  Sadie shook her head. “You have to understand the rhythm before you can master the waltz.” She dropped her hands, and he dropped his as well. “Let’s try something different. When I was little, my daddy taught me to dance by letting me stand on his feet. I’d move to the beat because he did.”

  Joe’s brows twisted. “Uh, I’m too big to dance on your feet, and we both know what happens when I do.”

  Sadie laughed. “No, you won’t dance on my toes, but you need to be close enough to move with me.” She breathed deep and stepped closer, sliding her feet between his and wrapping her arms around his waist. “Now hug me.”

  “That’s not hard to do.” He wrapped her in his arms. “You smell pretty.”

  Sadie chuckled. “You’re not so bad yourself.” Then in a lust-choked voice she whispered, “Move with me.”

  He started out slow and jerky.

  Sadie’s hands moved to his ass. “Let me take the lead.” She pressed him closer until their hips moved as one. “Dancing is as natural as walking, swimming, or—”

  “Riding a horse?” he offered.

  “Making love.” God, had she said that? Her heart raced and her body burned against his.

  He pulled Sadie closer, the ridge beneath his fly more pronounced. “Makes more sense when you explain it like that.”

  Nothing made sense about what she was doing. But it felt right.

  Through the next two songs, Sadie held him close and let him move with her to the music’s rhythm. The more they swayed together, the more the soft rubbing of their bellies and chests increased, causing enough abrasion to ignite a raging inferno within her.

  At the end of the second song, Sadie pushed away and pressed her hands against her cheeks. “I think you have it. Let’s get to work on the waltz.” This time when she assumed the correct position, with Joe’s warm hand, chastely in the middle of her back, she focused on the reason for her visit.

  Joe needed to waltz by tomorrow.

  “I liked the other way better.” His firm hand at the small of her back urged her closer.

  Before she could close the distance and sink back into his embrace, Sadie reminded herself he was learning to dance for another woman. She slipped from his hands. “Hold the position.”

  Sadie talked him through the steps, counting through the next song until he could do it by himself, mouthing the numbers.

  “The waltz was considered risqué in the eighteen-hundreds.”

  His lips twisted. “I’m not feeling it, dancing by myself.”

  “Now that you have the steps down…” She slid into his arms. “Close your eyes like before, and feel the three-count instead of counting.”

  “Feel, huh?” Again, his arms enveloped her in a warm, strong hold. “Now, you’re talkin’.” He closed his eyes, his body moving with hers to the three-count of the music.

  He had the rhythm, his body moving to the music and in sync with hers. Heat built inside Sadie like a teakettle bubbling to a boil. The closer he held her, the hotter she blazed. Her fingers curled into his palm, clutching harder as she melted against him. Every time her breasts pressed to his chest, her nipples pebbled, and she couldn’t help a quick indrawn breath. “You’re getting it.” Oh, boy, was he.

  “This feels real good,” he murmured against her hair. “It’s kinda like postin’ in the stirrups. You gotta time it right or you bust your balls.”

  The humor in his words broke through her sensuous trance and made her giggle. What started as a giggle, turned into a laugh, and she stopped in the middle of the floor. “Way to kill the moment.”

  His hands slipped down to her hips. “You felt it too?” His grip tightened, drawing her against the hard ridge beneath his jeans. “It wasn’t just me?”

  Her laughter dying, Sadie stared up into Joe’s eyes. She shook her head, unable to voice the roiling emotions welling inside.

  He smoothed a stray hair behind her ear. “I’m glad Audrey sent you. Did she tell you I stepped on her toe because I was looking at you across the room?”

  “No, she didn’t.” Sadie’s breath caught. “I didn’t think you knew I existed.”

  “How could I miss you? You had the nicest smile of any of the waitresses or dancers at the Ugly Stick Saloon. And the prettiest red hair.”

  Sadie lifted a hand to her hair. “I always considered it a curse.”

  He wove his fingers through the strands and pulled, tugging her head back. “It’s what makes you even more special.”

  Warmth spread up her neck and into her cheeks. “Thanks.”

  “I never knew dancing could be so…” He cupped her face, his mouth lowering toward hers. “…arousing…until I met you.”

  She skimmed her fingers across his chest, parting his shirt to find the hard muscles beneath. Electric shocks ignited at every point their bodies connected. All the naughty dreams she’d had about him rose to taunt her. “You have no idea how provocative dancing can be,” she whispered.

  “Like sex with your clothes on.” He claimed her lips, branding her with his heat, his tongue sliding between her teeth to stroke hers.

  Her senses erupted in joy, spurring her past those niggling reminders of the other woman. One hand slid up to the back of his neck, feathering through his crisp, dark hair. She curled her calf behind his, angling her leg upward until her crotch rode his thigh.

  He grabbed the backs of her legs and wrapped them around his waist and walked with her toward a wall, where he leaned her against its hard surface. His blue gaze darkening to gray, he stared into her eyes. “You know, I didn’t hire you for this. Say the word and it stops here.”

  Sadie chewed on her lower lip. “I didn’t come here to seduce you.”

  His bark of laughter was short and tense. “Seduce me? Is that what you did? And here I thought I was the one seducing you. I really am out of practice. Sexy Sadie, are you up for a little mutual seduction?”

  It was wrong. She wasn’t there to make love to this man—she was there to teach him how to dance. But she couldn’t deny her longing, the raging fire burning within, begging for satisfaction. Throwing sanity to the wind, she touched her lips to his. “Yes.”

  His mouth crashed down over hers, his fingers tugging the skirt of her dress upward until he could slip his hands underneath and cup her ass.

  Sadie wiggled her bottom against his grasp, liking the way his coarse palms abraded her soft skin, and glad she’d replaced all her briefs with thong panties the day she’d signed her divorce papers.

  She rocked her pussy against the denim bulge beneath her, frust
rated by the barrier between her and the promise of more. Breaking off their kiss, she pressed her hands against his chest. “Stop.”

  Immediately his head came up and his hands released her bottom. “What?” He blinked, his eyes glazed. “Did I move too fast?”

  “No. No. It’s not that.” She unlocked her legs from around his waist and let them slide down his thighs. “It’s just…”

  As her feet touched the ground, he backed up a step, running a shaking hand through his hair. “I’m sorry. I’ve been out of this too long.”

  “Me, too.” Sadie laughed, her skirt drifting down around her calves. Then she twisted her fingers in the front of his shirt and leaned up on her toes, pressing a kiss to his full, sensuous lips. “And hopefully, this dance isn’t over.” Before he could completely close down, she slipped her hand down his chest, flicking the remaining buttons on his shirt open, continuing on to push free the button on his jeans. “Sex with your clothes on isn’t nearly as fun…”

  “As doing it naked.” Joe caught the hem of her dress and dragged it up over her head, tossing it across a bar stool.

  Standing in nothing but her thong panties, Sadie’s body quivered in anticipation of what might come next.

  Joe reached into his back pocket, removed his wallet and dug out a foil packet. “I hope it’s still good. It’s been in there a long time,” he muttered, dragging off his jeans and rolling the condom down over his shaft. He advanced toward her, naked and beautiful, the warrior hero on the path to plunder his prize. He held out his hand, a smile twitching at the corners of his lips. “Shall we dance?”

  Sadie shimmied out of her panties and took his hand, delicious shivers making her body tremble and her pussy cream.

  Slightly awkward at first, Joe guided her across the floor to the steps of the waltz, his cock rubbing her belly, teasing her into a lathering frenzy. Their movements coalesced until their bodies swayed as one, and they danced naked around the room. As the music softened, Joe slowed, pressing her against a wall. He gathered her close and wrapped her legs around his waist, his cock nudging her entrance. “I never knew how wonderful dancing could be.” He eased into her, his lips capturing hers as he whispered, “With the right instruction.”

  Her channel slick with her desire, Sadie accepted him, reveling in how he filled and stretched her, driving his cock all the way into her. She dug her fingernails into his skin as tingling sensations hit her in waves, flowing through her body like a rising tide. To the beat of the music, he thrust into her, again and again, matching the rhythm perfectly.

  Sadie rode the crest until she pitched over the edge, a series of explosions rocking her to the core. Her body tensed as Joe thrust one last time, holding her hips, pressing her down over him, his jaw tight, his cock pulsing inside her.

  A minute, an hour, a lifetime might have passed—Sadie couldn’t tell. The haze of their passion ultimately cleared. Joe slipped from inside her and let her legs slide down his body to the floor. He leaned against the wall and brushed his lips across hers. “Best dance lesson, ever.”

  Without his skin against hers, the air-conditioned air chilled her body and jolted her back to reality. “It’s getting late.” She ducked beneath his arm and quickly gathered her clothing, a lump settling in her chest, tightening her throat. “You have an event to dance at tomorrow.”

  He reached out and grabbed her hand. “But I’m not ready.”

  Her gaze slipped to his still hardened manhood. “Oh, honey, you’re ready.”

  “Please come.” Joe tugged her toward him.

  She resisted. “Won’t the woman you’re going to dance with be upset?”

  He smiled. “Hardly. We’ve reserved the tea gardens at seven tomorrow evening. Please, say you’ll be there.”

  Sadie shook her head. “I don’t think so.” She didn’t think she could stand to see him dance with another woman. Especially after what they’d just shared. She pulled her dress over her head and down her hips, anxious to leave before she fell apart in front of him. When she glanced around for her panties, she couldn’t see through the blur of tears in her eyes. She gave up, grabbed her purse and turned to face him. “Thank you.”

  He grabbed her arm and turned her toward him. “You don’t have to leave, you know.”

  “Yes, I do.” The words came out in a whisper, sound refusing to make it past her constricted vocal cords.

  He tipped her chin upward. “Why are you crying?”

  Was he that dense? “I have to go.”

  “If you change your mind about tomorrow, I’m saving a dance for you.” He bent to kiss her.

  Unable to turn away, her lips met his in a searing, heartbreaking kiss. For the first time since her divorce, Sadie had opened her heart and her body to a man. She melted against his naked body, wishing she was more than just a name on his dance card. Finally, she shoved her hands between them and pushed out of his embrace.

  She ran from his house, flung herself into her car and jerked the shift into reverse.

  Not until she’d pulled out onto the country highway did she allow the tears to fall and before long, she had to pull to the side of the road until the storm abated and she could see well enough to drive home.

  Sleep didn’t come to her that night and she lay in bed past noon. With her heart aching, she left a message that she wouldn’t be working that night at the Ugly Stick, feigning illness. She needed the paycheck, especially since she planned on refusing Joe’s payment for services rendered.

  As dusk settled on Temptation, Texas, she stared at the clock. Six. Sadie’s pulse quickened. At seven, Joe would be dancing in the tea garden with the woman he’d learned to waltz for. Didn’t making love to her mean anything to him? Hell, she’d wasted an entire day moping over the damned cowboy.

  Anger spiked inside Sadie, driving her into the shower. She applied makeup, did her hair and put on the go-to-hell red dress she’d purchased after her divorce and hadn’t had the courage to wear. She had a bone to pick with a tease of a cowboy and she might as well look damned good when she did.

  Cars lined the drive into the tea gardens, forcing Sadie to park half a mile away and walk in. What had forced this cowboy to take the plunge and learn to waltz? Was it the woman? She must be extraordinary to make Joe want to change. Someone he cared about deeply.

  Sadie stumbled in her killer heels and came to a halt outside the gate leading into the garden. The music drifted through the hedges—a waltz. Joe would be dancing with the woman now.

  Unable to stop herself, Sadie had to see who this woman was. She pushed through the gate into the tea gardens, adorned with thousands of twinkle lights. In the middle of a makeshift wooden dance floor was Joe wearing a black tuxedo. He was so handsome it made Sadie’s heart twist. In his arms was a young woman in a long white wedding dress—and he was leading her in a waltz.

  Pain stabbed Sadie in her heart. She’d stumbled into a wedding. Joe’s wedding?

  The music faded out and another tune struck up. A young man in another black tuxedo tapped Joe’s shoulder. Joe kissed the young woman on the forehead and handed her off to the other man. “Take care of her, she’s all the family I have.”

  The young woman leaned up on her toes and kissed Joe’s cheek. “I love you, Daddy.”

  Daddy.

  Sadie’s pulse fluttered and her hopes soared. He’d learned to dance for his daughter.

  The young man kissed his bride and they danced away, leaving Joe standing on the edge of the dance floor, his gaze following the newlyweds, his face sad.

  Gathering her courage, while playing down her joy, Sadie stepped up to Joe and tapped his shoulder.

  He turned to her, his face lighting up. “You came.”

  Sadie laughed. “And not too soon, I think.” She held out her hand, hope and happiness flowing from her fingertips. “Shall we dance?”

  ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  RANDI ALEXANDER is published with The Wild Rose Press Cowboy Kink line and Cleis Press. When she’s not
dreaming of, or writing about, kinky cowboys, she’s biking trails along remote rivers, snorkeling the Gulf of Mexico or practicing her drumming in hopes of someday forming a tropical-rock band.

  CHEYENNE BLUE’s erotica has appeared in over seventy anthologies, including: Best Women’s Erotica, Cowboy Lust, Best Lesbian Romance, Lesbian Lust and Frenzy: 60 Stories of Sudden Sex. She lives and writes by the beach in Queensland, Australia.

  MICHAEL BRACKEN, writer of fiction, nonfiction and advertising copy, is the author of almost nine-hundred short stories, several of which have appeared in Cleis Press anthologies.

  LAYLA CHASE, on a dare from a close friend, challenged herself to explore the steamier side of romance and discovered all sorts of characters whose stories needed sharing. She writes contemporary and historical stories from her mountain home in California that she shares with her longtime husband and two dogs.

  CYNTHIA D’ALBA started writing on a challenge from her husband and discovered having imaginary sex with lots of hunky men was fun. Her first book, Texas Two Step, was released in 2012 and became a publisher best seller.

  SHOSHANNA EVERS is a critically acclaimed, best-selling romance author. She is published with Simon & Schuster/Gallery, Ellora’s Cave, and Penguin/Berkley Heat (Agony/Ecstasy), and her work is in several Cleis Press anthologies (including Best Bondage Erotica 2012 and 2013). She lives in Los Angeles with her family and two big dogs.

  MIA HOPKINS is a Los Angeles–based writer of romance and erotic fiction. Her work has appeared in Clean Sheets and will be featured in the forthcoming Circlet Press anthology Under Cover of Darkness. She was born in the year of the horse, which may explain her special fondness for cowboys.

  MYLA JACKSON spent twenty years livin’ and lovin’ in South Texas, ranching horses, cattle, goats, ostriches and emus. A former IT professional, Myla happily writes full time, penning adventures that keep her readers begging for more. When she’s not writing, she’s traveling, snow-skiing, boating or riding her ATV, while concocting new stories.

  EMMA JAY has been writing longer than she’d care to admit, using her endless string of celebrity crushes as inspiration for her heroes. Married twenty-six years, Emma believes writing romance is like falling in love, over and over again. Creating characters and love stories is an addiction she has no intention of breaking.